Indiana senator proposes making overstaying visas a federal crime in new bill

Indiana Republican Sen. Jim Banks on Tuesday unveiled a new bill that would make it a federal crime for migrants to overstay their visas, which could even result in prison time.

The proposal comes after the Trump administration disclosed that the suspect behind a terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, was an Egyptian migrant who overstayed his visa. The suspect came into the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2022, which expired in 2023 without the Biden administration approving his request for asylum. 

Banks' proposal would make overstaying the visa a federal crime that would be punishable by up to $1,000 in fines and up to anywhere between six months and two years in prison, according to the Washington Examiner.

"The Boulder terrorist and 9/11 hijackers didn’t sneak in, they overstayed visas,” the senator said in a statement. “That’s just as serious and just as dangerous. My bill cracks down on visa overstays with criminal penalties to stop threats before they happen.”

The bill, titled the Visa Overstay Penalties Act, also comes after the family of the suspected Colorado terrorist was detained by immigration officials on Wednesday to investigate whether they were complicit in the attack. 

It is not clear if the family overstayed their visas.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.